Before and after pictures of extraordinary skin changes intrigued me as I listened to world renowned Dr. Obagi during a breakfast event at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. His Obagi Skin Health Institute promotes anti-aging for the modern age. I first heard Dr. Obagi speak at the Be Well Expo where he passionately spoke about skin care.

When I met with Dr. Obagi as a patient, the very first thing he asked me was, “What do you know about skin?” Obagi continued, “80 billion dollars are made in the skincare industry and millions and millions of dollars are spent on marketing. It’s shameful,” Dr. Obagi said. “It is nothing about skin! Why not question it?” he asked.

It’s true. When you think about it, how many doctors and products actually focus on the root of the problem that is your skin? Our medical professionals focus on the problem, not the root of the problem. “It’s a conspiracy of skin,” stated Dr. Obagi. “The less you know,” he said, “the more they will sell you.”

Dr. Obagi said to take time to learn about your skin before it’s too late! If you don’t know, educate yourself. As far as Dr. Obagi is concerned the majority of people know nothing about skin.

“Women and beauty, we don’t investigate,” continued Dr. Obagi. “We look at movie stars and models and how it’s packaged. There is no guarantee. They cover their ass,” he said, “by saying, ‘Satisfaction or your money back.’ If we were truly satisfied, the advertisements of better, new improved, etc. would no longer be in existence.”

“What is healthy skin? Women need to evaluate their skin properly,” continued Dr. Obagi. “If it is healthy, smooth on its own, hydrated all the time, strong, free of disease, firm, tighter and not loose skin, you have quality skin. How can you tell what type of skin you have? Stand in front of a mirror,” Dr. Obagi said, “… Look and see, is your skin smooth or rough? Does it have color or is it discolored? Do you have wrinkles? Is your skin loose or not?”

What do you do once you’ve examined your skin? If you are fortunate, you will see internationally renowned Dr. Obagi or Dr. Monica Kiripolsky, a board-certified dermatologist who is a fellowship-trained cosmetic and laser surgeon and works closely with Dr. Obagi. Since not everyone can see them, he offers products on line and phone consultations. Dr. Obagi said, “The fact is if you don’t know your skin, then you will repeat what you are doing.”

Dr. Obagi said we are born with every cell working. At the age of 18-19 we stop growing and so does our skin. At 20 to 25, skin is at an altered state and can be brought back to look healthy. But Dr. Obagi said they don’t know how to prevent the altered state. “It is our job, as dermatogists and surgeons to want to educate people. In treating of diseases, dermatologists’ advice is involved in prevention, less altered states, less cancer … Dermatologists need to improve the skin by treating the disease and the skin at the same time.”

Dermatologists need to teach how to maintain the circle of skin health. At 25 and up most cells goes to sleep. This is when it is time to renew skin and build elasticity.

Moisturizer will do damage. In fact, Dr. Obagi says we rely on moisturizers to excess and moisturizers actually dry out your skin. Think of all the crèmes you have spent money on; they are doing the opposite of what you paid for. Instead, we should shred surface dead cells and continue generating new cells. Moisturizer puts all the dead skin on. Skin becomes thin; you age faster because you stop generating new skin.

Think of when you shower for a long time, your skin become white and wrinkly. Put your hand in moisturizer for 30 minutes. It will become white and wrinkly because it sucks the water out! Moisturizer is a quick gratification to feel good.

Dr. Obagi said, “If I can help people with a disease, help the public with skin care and what products are healthy for the skin as well as how to take care of damage and maintain the skin; that is my dream. We are born beautiful. Healthy skin takes care, and looking our best is prevention. That is what skin health is all about.”

Dr. Obagi continued, “There is no discrimination in helping healthy skin. It is for anyone at any age. … Disease is genetic and acquired. It is a skin weakness. It has intolerance and the wrong topical agent will prolong the disease. It can be treated to look and feel normal. Skin reacts differently. We need to make it strong and not dry.”

What steps do you follow to take care of your skin? Dr. Obagi told me you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars.

So I started my journey with Dr. Obagi and Dr. Monica Kiripolsky. We took before and after pictures to see the process and the end results.

Doctor Obagi said the process is to first get the skin smooth and even. After looking at my skin, he made a decision on what I needed. First he took a wand and put it all over my face. It was painless and my skin looked great. Dr. Obagi stressed that it is not easy to get great looking skin and that we have to put in the work ourselves to make it happen. I was then put on a routine using his unique products

My beginning routine… In the morning I used Exfoliating Cleanser that has little blue dots and cleaned my skin thoroughly. It felt good on my skin and afterwards my skin felt refreshed. I followed it with ZO Polishing Scrub. The tiny morsels exfoliate skin beautifully. For strength and vitality, I applied Daily Power Defense, followed by Ommerse Daily Renewal for Hydration and Calming. I only used that the first month. For sun protection, I applied Oclipes M (Tinted). It blended easily with my complexation and provides superb sun protection.

In the evening, I used the Exfoliating Cleanser, followed by the Tepads that remove any acne and a lot of dirt. For strength and vitality, I applied Growth Factor Serum, followed by Radical Night Repair for Deep Renewal and Repair. I found the morning and evening cleansing rituals were easy to follow and felt good.

One month later Dr. Monika Kiripolsky continued working with me and she decided to make a few adjustments in order to enhance removal of my dead skin and create bright and beautiful fresh new skin. Following the Growth Factor Serum, I combined one gram of Complex A and two pumps of Melamix in the evening.

The combination showed results quickly. “Definition of beauty #1 is even skin tone,” said Dr. Kiripolsky. You have to be ready to experience the light flaky skin, but it is painless and well worth the results!

Dr. Kiripolsky is an expert. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude from the Honors College at The University of California – Los Angeles. She specializes in dermatology and has earned the distinction through the American Board of Dermatology after completing a three-year residency in dermatology at University of Illinois, Chicago. She has a pedigree resume, which provides each client with complete confidence in her recommendations and treatments.

I had the opportunity to be a model for a class where Dr. Kiripolsky explained and showed the benefits of injectables. Dr. Kiripolsky shared there are subconscious ways we judge age, such as hollowed out temples, loss of volume in the face, and skin productivity.

Dr. Kiripolsky shared how one needs to work with injectables so the patient doesn’t end up with an ET face. A lot of dermatologists and surgeons don’t go to the correct area for the entire face to look full and natural. The result is quite scary looking and something you will never find with faces at Obagi’s Skin Health Institute.

The face changes over time and they know how to restore it to a more youthful natural appearance. She said, “… the temple gets hollow and you don’t want to get a peanut head! Volume into the temples can bring back twenty years.”

She used Sculptra and shared how beneficial it is for the jowls (smile lines), eyes, neck and hands. She applied the needle on the top of my cheek bone on each side and asked me to rub it as well as apply ice to it. The needle was a prick and the injection was painless. Sculptra is a superior product. All I needed to do was continue to rub the area five minutes every hour for the following day. I was not perfect at the rubbing, but it showed a little more fullness. Dr. Kiripolsky said that it could take several injections, depending on the client. I would be good with two or three additional injections. Dr. Kiripolsky shared that you need to get to the heart of the problem. One vile of Sculptra will take two or three treatments. One does not do them all it once; it takes time between each session. I highly recommend this natural looking product.

Restylane is another injectable, which will take two and a half to three treatments. Dr. Kiripolsky said you can get good results with different fillers.

Dr. Kiripolsky said that what adds to the root of the problem is a radical face-lift, which gives a windblown look. After the age of 30 years old we lose a tablespoon of volume every year. Our muscles change which you can see in the jaw. Dr. Kiripolsky knows where and how to use the correct injectables so that your face is even, fresh looking, and youthful.

I asked Dr. Kiripolsky to share something with me about her work. She said. “I like that eyes are the window to the soul, but that hands are the window to your true age and that we can fix that with adding volume, treating the veins, sclerotherapy and even laser off sun spots.”

“I love my work.” She continued, “I work with all age groups and on the whole they are very happy. To think that I can boost peoples’ self -confidence by treating their insecurities that we can fix ...”

I began noticing how women on television take care of their foreheads and smile lines but skip the temples. Dr. Kiripolsky is really onto something. She said you don’t want permanent filler because as you age proportions change and slowly break down with your face, continually needing adjustment. Dr. Obagi and Dr. Kiripolsky specialize in knowing where and what filler is needed to restore that youthful, appropriate, natural looking face with quality skin.

During a session with Dr. Kiripolsky, I asked her about acne in teens and adults. It is best individualized at their office, but if you don’t live in Los Angeles, you can email a photo of your skin and have a consultation over the phone. They are that good.

When it comes to acne skin, Dr. Kiripolsky said there is a very reasonable product on the market named Aknetrol. It is the newest for acne, but made to be used with other products. Combinations of products, especially topicals, are needed depending on the acne itself.

They also provide Laser Hair Removal. Dr. Kiripolsky used this procedure on my underarms. It has a buzz feel, which was not my favorite, but worth the results. My hair did not grow back for weeks! I loved it.

My next session with Dr. Kiripolsky was about maintenance. She replaced the Complex A and Melamix with Radical Night Repair.

Because they take pictures of you at each visit, the photos became an important vehicle in seeing the changes that have been made over time. It is hard to believe that the lines in my forehead diminished using only Dr. Obagi’s skin care line. People say I am glowing and tell me how beautiful my skin looks.

I had experienced the best quality care and attention to my skin over the past six months, and it was time for my final appointment for the article. Dr. Obagi and Dr. Kiripolsky entered the room, professional as always. I could not stop myself from giving both of them a hug of gratitude.

Dr. Obagi looked at the skin on my face and touched it. No sun damage, check; no disease, check; and my skin on my face is smooth. When I came in my forehead had wrinkles, I had sun marks, and my skin was not smooth. Dr. Obagi said, "This is what you get from a non-invasive approach. Treatment and skin care that can make your skin glow.”

“You must start with good quality products that have a specific purpose for your skin … Not all the treatments are the same,” said Dr. Obagi. He said the other things, such as “Injectables for additional improvements are icing on the cake.”

He told me that God gave me thin skin, but that they can help me prevent that from becoming thinner in the future. The skin improvements are what count to Dr. Obagi.

The good thing is both Dr. Obagi and Dr. Kiripolsky know how to treat an individual’s skin in the very best possible way. They make you feel safe because they know what they are doing and they really care about each patient’s skin and making it better. They have amazing facials and therapeutic medical solutions which are specific to an individual’s skin needs.

Dr. Obagi Skin Health Institute benefits and improves the skin by tackling the root problems and so much more. The result we see … Obagi radiance.